7 Ways To Fix The Current State Of Cinema

7) Make The Writer King

Television, which is obviously doing very well right now, has made the writer king of content. But in cinema, films – especially those with the big budgets – are primarily controlled by producers who often see an opportunity to make money first and a good story second, and directors whose ability to bring a film in on time/budget is prized above their storytelling skills. (See: Michael Bay, Roland Emmerich and Zack Snyder, all of whom regularly command huge budgets but who are no one’s idea of artists.)

In TV, however, projects are made in the writers’ room, and those with the best ideas are the ones who flourish. It’s why you know the names Vince Gilligan and Nic Pizzolatto, but might not be able to name a single movie screenwriter. This writer-led approach has made TV the new hot visual medium, a medium that has viewers talking at the water cooler and has critics falling over themselves in trying to give the highest praise. Hollywood might want to think about giving the movie writer more power than they currently have.